“No—I didn’t know, I swear—”
“You don’t deserve my trust.” His voice rose, cruel and final. “If anything, Gwen might not even be mine. For all I know, you’ve been cheating on me.”
The air rushed out of my lungs. “No! Of course not, Leandro—”
“Don’t deny it!” His eyes darkened. “Come here. You deserve punishment. Since you’ve been toying with me, you’ll never see your child again.”
Terror slammed into me. I tried to step back, but his men appeared in the doorway. My scream lodged in my throat as he barked the order.
“Take her. Remove her toenails—one by one. Let her feel what Gwen felt. Let her know pain.”
“No! Leandro, please—” My voice cracked as I struggled, thrashing against the guards’ grip. “Don’t! Don’t do this—”
But my cries were useless. His eyes were cold, merciless, a stranger’s gaze in the face of the man I once loved.
The first rip of pain came like fire. They forced me down, pinning my arms, and I felt the sickening pull as one of my toenails was torn away. My scream echoed through the walls, desperate, ragged.
“Help me!” I cried, choking, my vision blurring with tears. “Please—someone, help me!”